UA Paralympian Jordan Bird raced in this week's 800-meter handcycling competition in the T-54 division. A collision early on set him back, but he recovered and finished sixth of eight. Bird is a senior at the UA, where he earned a track scholarship.

Jamie Blanchard, a graduate of the UA School of Journalism, is the communications manager for the Paralympics in London, which starts Aug. 29. She'll be telling the participants' stories of athleticism, inspiration and courage throughout the Games, which run through Sept. 9.

UA athletes Zachary Abbott, Bryan Barten, Jordan Bird, Tanner Gers, Adam Kellerman, Jennifer Poist and Noah Yablong will compete during the 2012 Paralympics, which will run Aug. 29 through Sept 9. Their countless hours of dedication to wheelchair tennis, basketball and track and field, as well as visually impaired track and field, will be tested in London among the world’s best.

Noah Yablong, a UA engineering management graduate and adaptive sports athlete, will play for Team USA in the Paralympic Games. Yablong, a top wheelchair tennis player with a world ranking of 58 and a U.S. Tennis Association ranking of 4, played for the UA wheelchair tennis team during his undergraduate studies at the UA.

The five medals won by Wildcat athletes in London boosted Arizona's total to 63 (26 gold/23 silver/14 bronze) Olympic medals all-time. In fact, UA athletes have claimed at least one medal in every Olympiad since 1968. A total of 113 athletes have made 178 appearances in the Games.

Over the weekend, UA student-athlete Brigetta Barrett won the silver medal in the women's Olympic high jump competition, and former Wildcat Andre Iguodala and the U.S. basketball team won the gold medal. UA-affiliated athletes Bernard Lagat, Todd Wells and Abdi Abdirahman competed but did not medal.

The UA's Brigetta Barrett qualified for the finals in the high jump at the Olympics on Aug. 9. Barrett earned a spot with a clearance of 6-4. For the 2012 outdoor season, Barrett has cleared 6-4 or better on eight different occasions. She will compete in the finals on Aug. 11.

The UA's Georganne Moline earned a fifth-place finish in the final of the women's 400-meter hurdles on Aug. 8. Also, Bernard Lagat finished fourth in the preliminary round of the men's 5,000-meter race and qualified for the finals, and Andre Iguodala played for USA Basketball. Brigetta Barrett will make her Olympic debut in the high jump preliminaries on Aug. 9.

The UA's Michele Mitchell and Lacey Nymeyer proudly represented their home and University during their time at the Olympics. Nymeyer, a swimmer, took home a silver medal in the 2008 Games in Beijing. Mitchell is a two-time Olympic diver, medaling in both Los Angeles and South Korea.